How do you plan for a 5-month backpacking trip around 7 countries? How do you decide which country to start?

How do you prepare for a trip of a lifetime?

Going on a 5-month trip without an itinerary or any semblance of a plan is like auditioning for American Idol without a song in mind...and you also happen to have a voice of a frog with a bad case of laryngitis. It's just not possible to survive for that long without going ape-$hit!

Neither is it good to plan everything down to the last minute of every day on your trip. That would be another recipe to lead you straight to an institution.

So for our trip, we consulted our handy-dandy backpacker's bible, the Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring Budget. We planned, we talked (read: Chichi shows plan to Lois and Lois goes 'Ok!'), Chichi plans again (with the help of Sole-dier boy Hutch) until we all came up with THE PLAN.

Chichi and Lois Go 'Round Southeast Asia

After 3 versions, this is our Southeast Asian itinerary:

Here's the short-hand version of our itinerary (if the clip is blocked by your office firewall or you're just too lazy to watch the clip in full):

Although we agreed on this plan, we won't be surprised if things change midway. This is just a rough draft...written in sand. We've read enough travel blogs to know that plans can change like quicksand. (What is it with me and the sand metaphor?) Buses break down. Ships don't leave on schedule. Murphy's law attacks in full force. $hit happens.

Or who knows, maybe we'll attend Thailand's biggest water festival, Songkran, instead of tubing around Laos in April. Or maybe we'll jump over to the other side of Laos and say hello to Myanmar? We're open to WWOOF-ing (No, we're not interest in barking!) or any type of volunteering around Thailand if given the opportunity. The possibilities are endless!

Don't worry, we won't leave you behind! We'll be sure to update this post along the road with any changes to the itinerary.

Hey, we'd also love to meet up with you on this journey! We're giving everyone an open invitation to join us on any leg. Heck, consider this your invite to join us for the WHOLE duration of the trip. With the budget airlines giving away promo fares almost every month, we don't think it's impossible. C'mon, what are you waiting for?

I read about a traumatic experience by 2 filipinas in the hands of immigration officers in Bali, Indonesia and remember you're going there too. here's the link http://www.chyngreyes.com/2011/06/my-traumatic-experience-as-alleged-drug.html . just be careful and cautious when you go there this july.

Leave a Reply

SIGNUP FOR TRAVEL UPDATES

Page Views

Follow the Sole Trail

If you want to contact the Sole Sisters for comments, suggestions, donations, advertising or any travel related inquiries - send them to:
solesisters.weare(at)gmail(dot)com